Healthy Mind Heart Body

The Immediate Benefits of Interval Training

I am not a novice gym-goer. I am a novice, and puppy-eyed convert, to interval training. Currently, my favorite cardio workout goes something like this: get on Stairmaster, warm up 4 minutes at 90 steps/minute, follow with 2 minute sprints at 180 steps/minute – the fastest the machine will go – and 90 steps/minute of recovery. Repeat for 30 minutes.

I don’t plan on 30 minutes. In fact I plan on a shorter cardio workout because I don’t believe I will last that long. I am often wrong. The time flies by. I put on headphones but find the usually soothing distraction of television noise unbearable and dangerous in the sense that it is in fact a distraction. I spend my 2 minute sprint sessions pushing through with good form – you can’t go that fast without having good form unless you want to fall off the machine. I spend the first 30 seconds of my recovery period trying to breathe normally. I spend the last 45 seconds getting psyched to sprint. And so passes the time.

I am on such an adrenaline/endorphin high when I finish this workout that I practically bounce over to get the sanitizing spray. All this energy means I don’t have to struggle to knock out a strength training session. I don’t want to stop.

I am also feeling rather proud of myself. All of this I-love-being-fit egoism means that I don’t want to stop working on my fitness level! More! How could I not love that feeling of pride? I’m more likely to work out when I feel that good. I’m more likely to work out tomorrow when I remember how good I felt.

By immediate, I mean in the moment, right off the machine, before you hit the locker room immediate. There are obvious long-term benefits from this type of workout-physical, mental…But there is something exceedingly inspiring about an activity that has you exhausted but wanting more at the same time.
When I leave the gym I feel exhausted, I feel great. I pushed myself so am exhausted but am also bouyant. The rest of the day I feel satisfied and healthy. Typically my apartment and car benefit from the workout as well in the form of a good cleaning.

Love me some interval training.

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Julia Hale

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Comments

4 responses to “The Immediate Benefits of Interval Training”

  1. geoffreyhale Avatar
    geoffreyhale

    30 minute HIIT? You’re a beast. I ran for 10 minutes once.

    If you could share your secret of working out like a beast and then having even more energy than before, that would rock. I always weight train first because I’ve read and generally experienced that cardio tires me out as with most things. Both cardio and great weight lifting sessions can make me feel high but generally both drain me and make even walking a bit wobbly and not passing out is no guarantee.

    Reply
    1. juliahale Avatar
      juliahale

      I personally find running intervals difficult on my joints. When I run, I tend to do a warm up and that do run, lunge, run, squat, run…intervals instead of speed. My inspiration there is running in public, usually at the reservoir where the local track teams workout.
      I’ve always enjoyed working out and I think that is my best asset in the gym. I like to do strength training post cardio mainly because cardio wakes me up. My blood starts pumping and I fall into a zone. If I don’t go hard enough, my body is content to meander along, perhaps even skip the strength training. Note that isn’t because I’m tired, it is probably boredom.
      Whether I am weight training or doing a cardio workout, I place myself next to someone going hard. It motivates me to run as fast, to do as many reps, to stretch farther. I have a quiet competitive streak but I find I’m not really battling the other person, I’m using my mind’s drive to be the best to my phyiscal advantage.
      I listen to music. There are a few songs that just get me pumped. I start moving to the beat and just don’t stop moving.
      Unfair advantage: I grew up doing gymnastics. 3 hour practices 4 days a week that began with 45 minutes of intense conditioning, were interrupted only by water breaks and back flip contests, and often ended after the 3-hour mark due to obsessive, repetitive attempts at a particular move. Make Julia a workout junkie. I miss gymnastics.

      Reply
  2. heidischwab Avatar
    heidischwab

    Ah, you guys excite me! My workout and gym experiences are much like Julia’s. We could be workout buddies. 😉
    I love intense interval cardio sessions. My favorite cardio machine in the gym is the stair-climber. It’s the hardest and requires the most focus to use correctly. I’ve thoroughly explored and enjoyed challenging Cycle classes, cardio Kick-Boxing classes, interval circuit Boot Camp classes. I always loved running, until I badly tore a tendon in my ankle and it’s never been the same. I find that running feels very hard on my body. I, too, have an intense, internal, quiet competitive streak. Going a little bit farther or faster, doing one more rep, or adding a little more weight, or getting the form exactly right… All so motivating and satisfying!
    I’ve been an aerobics instructor and personal trainer for years. Having been a child and adolescent athlete (volleyball, swim and track), I love and appreciate a solid, challenging regiment. Volleyball was my life in high school. I loved being the first one there stretching, ran the drills the hardest, pushed myself, stayed after to gain insights and one-on-one training with my coach. I’d ride my bike home from my 3 hour practice and go straight to my huge backyard trampoline for a session of back-flips, front-flips, layouts, imaginative twist and trick combination maneuvers. Ah, I always dreamed of being a gymnast! That’s probably one reason why I’m so drawn to yoga and acro yoga.
    Really hard workouts make me feel so amazing, I want more. I think my secret is that, to me, it feels like playing. I am playing.

    Reply
    1. juliahale Avatar
      juliahale

      I’ve wanted to be a personal trainer for some time now. It seems an ideal package: help people to be fit, happy and healthy, be motivated to keep yourself fit, happy and healthy, and make money. I’ve been distracted the last few months and haven’t diligently researched the right moves towards becoming certified. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it – the process of becoming certified, the pros and cons of being certified, etc.!

      Reply

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